Graham Hiley reports from Portman Road on Saturday's defeat against and on-form Ipswich...

It was not so much the Suffolk punch as the sucker punches which hurt Saints as they threw away victory.

If this had been a boxing match it would have been stopped at half-time with Glenn Hoddle's men well on top.

But unlike top fighters, they lacked the killer instinct to finish off their prey once it had been weakened.

Ipswich showed no such mercy ruthlessly taking three of their four real chances to punish Saints for converting just one of six or seven good opportunities.

That clinical efficiency was the only real difference between the sides - apart, of course, from 12 places and 13 points. How Southampton would love to be in Town's position; this victory moved the newly-promoted side to within touching distance of safety with slightly under half the season gone!

And they could and should be on a par with them, partly because the East Anglian outfit are nothing special though crucially they are playing with enormous self-belief.

That is the one factor which seems to have eluded Saints who have let so many opportunities slip frustratingly through their grasp this season.

They have been in a position to have won five more away games to match the Tractor Boys' remarkable record on the road.

It is some comfort that all their away defeats have come against sides in the top three at the time. But the fact remains they should be significantly higher rather than still looking nervously over their shoulders.

Ipswich may be new to the Premiership but they have shown how it should be done, making the most of their limited opportunities and resources.

Widely regarded as whipping boys after winning the play-offs, they set out to take every chance and to amass as many points as possible as quickly as possible.

If Saints had shown similar resolve and urgency, they whould be up there with them. And certainly they should have closed the gap here.

Throughout the first half they hustled and chased to Suffolk-ate the midfield and they broke with pace and purpose.

James Beattie is overdosing on adrenaline and confidence right now and is in the mood to score whenever he gets the ball.

It took him just two minutes and 12 seconds to plant a precise header into the top left corner for his eighth goal in seven games.

And he might have had a hat-trick before half-time with Richard Wright making one fine save at point-blank range.

The defence looked strong and composed, the midfield picked up the many stray passes from the unsettled home side and Saints swarmed forward dangerously and with good movement.

Inexplicably they stopped doing that at the start of the second half giving away two early Christmas presents and one late one. And all were delivered by former Saints midfielder Jim Magilton who set up each of his side's goals from the left wing.

The marking was dreadful for the two in as many minutes soon after the break. No-one picked up Jamie Scowcroft who had an easy prod home from Magilton's scuffed free-kick and Alun Armstrong had a free header from his corner with the crazy spin on the ball evading Paul Jones and Wayne Bridge.

Southampton sides of old have often folded with more goals quickly following but they gradually got themselves back together and began to re-assert themselves.

The got back on top and had good chances to level with Ipswich hanging on.

The third goal was irrelevant other than to give an unjust reflection on the scoreline as they over-stretched themselves in the quest for an equaliser.

But again Magilton found space down the left and no-one picked up Armstrong who came close to signing for Saints in February 1998.

His shot was well saved but when your luck's out . . . the rebound hit Wayne Bridge and bounced in.

It was only Armstrong's second substitute appearance for Ipswich having signed from Middlesbrough 10 days earlier for just £500,000 rising to £800,000.

With prize money of £200,000 a place plus huge riches for survival, he has almost repaid that fee already!